A bargain struck
by teviko
Summary: They just came back to the Keep, to find it in ruins, and one of their own, gone.


A/N: I do not own Dragon's Age, I just play in it. This is my version of why Anders pacted with Justice.

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They returned to Vigil's Keep to find it in ruins, smoke billowing up into the darkened sky, bodies littering the ground, human and darkspawn alike. The smell of death and decay filtered through the air, noxious and consuming, forcing the small band of wardens to cover their mouths to limit how much of it they inhaled. The piles of the darkspawn were thickest by the battlements as they had tried to climb over the walls, while Ogres had pounded the granite walls with massive stones, gaping holes where they finally succeeded painted a grim picture beyond.

Ahne had faith in the Keep that she had Voldrik build her, sparing no expense to whatever his demands, even sacrificing a few soldiers to guard the quarry of granite she had discovered. Voldrik had almost swooned over the substantial quantity she had found. He dedicated his time to rebuilding the walls to his sense of standards, given the limit of human ingenuity. But as she came upon the wreckage of her keep, she felt a of tinge of regret for having abandon the Keep to its fate.

A sullen horn range out from a lone battlement, and she saw a silver figure lean over the ramparts. Her heart rose with faint hope. Had the Keep truly held out? Did her remaining wardens and silver-clad soldiers push back the darkspawn?

"HO! THE COMMANDER RETURNS!" The voice rang out, and suddenly, a burst of activity erupted from the dark beyonds of the keep. Her soldiers, clad in silverite army soiled in the blood and filth of darksapwn came clamouring over the rubble and debris, to see for themselves that the Commander of the Grey in fact lived. Not as many were alive as she would have liked, but they had obviously been victorious, and that was good enough for her.

As she strode with her fellow Grey Wardens, people began to clap and cheer, hoots and hollers heard all around as another horn, a victory blow this time, echoed over the vast expanse of the Keep. Strings stung in her eyes at the warmth invited by her return. These men all looked up to her, they had all been secretly waiting for news of her return, or of her failure, but all in all, she was returning to a place that was fond of her.

"ALL HAIL THE COMMANDER!" One man shouted, and a series of "HOO! HOO! HOO!" rose up all around her and her small band. As she passed, many clasped their arms over their chest and bowed, and she smiled and nodded her head in acknowledgement. She was nearly in tears now, touched by their sincerity, and by the sheer fact, it was over...for now.

Varel was standing at the gates of the Keep as she came up. Ahne knitted her eyebrows in contemplation. _Where are my wardens!_ She thought, panicking. She hurried her last few steps, tears forgotten.

"Seneshal, report." She ordered, looking behind him for any clarification on where Ohgren and Justice were.

"I'm sorry to inform you, that Justice did not make it. As we speak, his body is being prepped for cremation. Ohgren, on the other hand, is alive, but not doing so well." His eyes flitted to Anders, knowing he was a healer. "Although his recovery may be hastened if were to have a good healer attend to him."

Anders picked up on the subtle nuances and darted off into the Keep, not needing Ahne's permission to do what needed to be done.

"What of Justice. That body was just Kristoff's. What happened to Justice?" Ahne pestered.

"We truly are uncertain, Commander. Before the Darkspawn fled, a Hurlock managed to lop off his head. No one mentioned anything about a shimmering white Fade spirit leaving the body. Perhaps he returned to the Fade."

Ahne frowned. She had come to enjoy the Spirit and his constant fascination with the world. He was a noble spirit with a noble agenda. She was completely akin to his chivalrous ways, and in ways, reminded her a lot of Alistair. The spirit knew what it defined itself in life, and stuck to its morale compass like a lodestone. He was unwavering in his convictions, and Ahne had truly enjoyed talks with him. It was going to be a loss she couldn't even reconcile in her mind. The body may have once belonged to Kristoff, but the Spirit inside was his own man. She had lost a very valuable ally.

"Take his remains to Aura, she deserves peace at last, and tell her..." Ahne said, swallowing. "Tell her that _He_ avenged her husband death."

"As you say, Commander." Varel said, bowing to her, and stepping to the side, knowing she want to look around at the damage, or at the very least go to her rooms to rest, change, contemplate everything that had happened. Pulling off her gauntlets, Ahne solemnly entered the inside of the Keep.

"Great Andraste's Knickers," she heard Anders swear, and saw the Healer fumigating the air around him as he hovered over Ohgren. He saw the commander as he came in. "The dwarf's passed out, and still manages to be fart, and be drunker than a shleet!"

Ahne grinned. Now she knew who had told Ohgren of shleets. "I think if you opened any vein of his, you'd find it to be nothing but alcohol."

"Yes, I'm sure of that. This is going to make things difficult." Anders grumbled.

Ahne put a hand on his shoulder. "You're the best healer in the Keep, Anders. I believe in you. But don't work yourself to death. We've just gotten back. Take a break as soon as your done with him."

"Yes, Commander." Anders said, his hands emanating a soft hum, and passed them over Ohgren's body. The dwarf had lost a lot of blood, presumably because he bled like a stuck pig because of all the alcohol in his system. That and his love of beserking, throwing the dwarf into a blind rage that didn't stop him from attacking enemy after enemy until they were all dead. The only way to stop a beserker was to kill it, or render it unconscious, which was quite the feat to accomplish. Ohgren had almost bled himself to death.

Anders focused in on his task, reaching upon the Fade to accomplish the task of closing all the wounds on Ohgrens body to assist the dwarf's recovery. That was when he heard the voice.

_Mage._

Anders brows knitted trying to hold his concentration. He sank deeper into his meditations, focusing the healing energies into each cut, each laceration, every bruised muscle, every internal bleed that threatened the dwarf's life.

_Mage. Desist your casting. You are nearly out of power._

Anders snapped his eyes open and looked around. There was no one there, but the voice had sounded familiar. He sighed, also realizing the voice had been right. He was terribly exhausted. With a burdened sigh, Anders cut the flow of power and sat down next to Ohgren. How the dwarf managed to live was beyond him, given how weak the heart was, and the sheer volume of blood loss, Ohgren should have slipped into hypothermia and simply died. Either that, his heart should have simply stopped and the body expired. It made no sense.

_Mage. I would speak with you._

Anders growled. Off all the times to be harassed by a demon, it would be now. The images of what he'd faced in the Mother's Lair had been horrifying, and the deal Ahne had made with the Architect left him chilled. That _thing_ took Grey Warden blood and used to to turn darkspawn into thinking...THINKING reasoning creatures, able to plan, and strategize and be far more organized than any darkspawn should have been. And she let him go!

_Mage, I do not have time to listen to your introspection. I would speak with you._

Anders opened his eyes and looked around. The cadence to the voice was familiar. Someone who had condescended him time and again.

"Justice?" Anders spoke aloud, keeping very alert that it could be a trick.

_Yes, Mage. It is I._

"But how? Varel said you were decapitated." A few soldiers looked at the mage questioningly, and Anders cheeks flushed. How was this possible?

_Kristoff's _body _was decapitated, not I. When it happened I found I could not cross back into the Fade. But as I lingered in your mortal realm, my 'essence' was fast dissipating. There were corpses enough to be used, but I saw Ohgren dying. I could not allow it. He had bravely fought against two ogres to allow time for the Keep to rally a final strike against the darkspawn. If not for his sacrifice, we...they would not have held out. I could not allow his body to die._

Anders shivered, so that explained why Ohgren was still clinging to life. Justice was supporting him. Anders released a shuddered gasp of air.

_This union is unacceptable, Mage. He was unconscious when I entered his body, but not dead. I will not pervert myself to inhabit the body of an unwilling host. I did it to keep him alive, but I must not remain here. I cannot._

Anders swallowed, and looked at Ohgren, who's chest barely rose and fell. The work of Justice, but Justice was no healer. If he remained, even his essence would not be enough to preserve the dwarf's life. It had stemmed off the death, but it would be inevitable. Anders could continue his healing, but he would be fighting a losing battle, even if he doused himself liberally with lyrium, he wasn't sure he could gap up all the wounds and prevent Ohgren from dying of blood loss.

_If you leave Ohgren's body, then he will die. _Anders thought back to the voice in his head. Warily. This could be a trick, by a demon, preying upon this unfortunate time to trick Anders into becoming an abomination. He had too...

_I am no demon, Mage. I am Justice._

Anders sighed. It certainly sounded like Justice, condescending tone and all. Even the inflection of 'Mage' was perfect.

_What is it you want then? Spirit. _Anders added, annoyed at always being called Mage.

_I propose that we merge, become one. I would add my powers to yours and together we could save this dwarf's life._

_That sounds very suspiciously like a possession, spirit. Or should I say, demon. _Anders sighed. So it was a demon after all.

_I once asked you why you did not do more for the plight of your kind. You said it sounded like too much work. I admonished you and told you apathy was a weakness, yet I can see now that you feared you would fail if you tried. If I joined with you, added my powers to yours, you may have the strength you need to free your Brothers and Sisters. Would you this be more of an acceptable offering?_

Anders frowned. Yes. That was Justice, of that Anders was certain now. He recalled that conversation clearly. Anders was a runner, always angry at the Circle for its enslavement of Mages, and the abuses mages had to suffer. But aside from freeing himself every chance he got, he did nothing to free others. That conversation had planted a seed of doubt in Anders mind. Should he really do more for the mages? He had been unable to think of his own selfishness after that.

_I am glad to hear it, Mage...Anders. Would you seek the betterment of all your kind? I would gladly join you to bring this injustice to an end._

_Why me? _Anders asked. _There are plenty of corpses around for you to infest. Why join with me?_

_While there are no lack of bodies to inhabit, their..usefulness expires far too quickly to be a lasting solution. I had a conversation with Nathaniel once, and he said if a host were willing, a friend to share a body with, that it would be far better than a rotting corpse. It was something to consider. And now, I find myself in need of another host, dead or alive._

Anders grimaced. _Then go find Nate, and ask him._

_While Nathaniel is certainly a good friend, he would be incapable of saving _this _body. You, however, are the most competent healer in this Keep. Together, we would be able to save this Dwarf's life, and he'd be able to see Felsi and his child again._

Suddenly, Ohgren's body let out another flatulent moan. Anders scrambled away from the putrid odor lingering in the air.

"Andraste's tits, must you fart like that?"

_My apologies. _Justice's voice seemed sheepish. _This body produces copious amounts of gas. The effect is quite...discomforting. And with his body being unconscious, I find it far easier to ease the muscles on the lower half of his body than to try to push the gas upwards out of his mouth._

Anders waved off the remaining stench and came closer to Ohgren's body. _How will this work, exactly? 'If' I were to consider this._

_I would simply pass onto you. And then, hopefully, we would work to save this dwarf's life._

Anders sighed and looked up. He didn't really want to see Justice have to jump from corpse to corpse to retain his place in the world. He had already hinted that, should he ever lack for a body, he'd simply dissipate and cease to be, and Anders didn't want that. It wasn't fair to Justice, who, by a freak accident was rent from his world and forced into this one. It hadn't been his choice, and now that he had a choice, he wanted to remain, and experience what few of his kind did not.

But, on the other hand, freely offering his body for a spirit to inhabit...it sounded so close to becoming an abomination. But, Justice was a Fade Spirit, not a demon, not perverted by the reflections of man's sins. This was a noble spirit, one who agreed and shared Anders views on the injustices of the circle. Could it work?

_We will only know once you agree. Even I am uncertain of what will result of or merging._

That convinced Anders. Even Justice was unsure. Demons were always sure. There was no way this could be a trick.

_I agree, Justice._


End file.
